Learning goal: To understand water as a metaphor and the concept of river morphology.
TASK
SUGGESTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Gather
Consider and journal on the following questions:
1. What does water mean to you?
2. What does it feel like, sound like, and taste like?
3. Are there instances in your life that can be compared to water? How do you know? Listen to the two following songs:
• Patrick Droney - Like the Water (Live Performance) | Vevo
• Lauryn Hill - Just Like Water
While listening to the above songs, consider the following questions:
1. How do Patrick Droney and Lauryn Hill feel about water?
2. Why do they use water to describe what they are talking about? 3. What are the similarities and differences between each of the songs?
Synthesize
Watch this video on the meaning of river morphology and answer the following questions:
1. What is river morphology?
2. How does it relate to ourselves?
Examine the front cover of Scratching River and do some stream of consciousness writing with regards to what you see. You can consider the following questions as you are writing:
1. How does the cover relate to river morphology?
2. Can the cover be seen as a metaphor for your life? Consider your relationships with others.
3. How does the style you are currently writing in (stream of consciousness) relate to river morphology? 4. What does river morphology say about the power of water? How does this relate to the power of Mother Earth?
Transfer
Share your stream of consciousness writing with a partner or with a small group in a circle. Consider the following questions 1. How does this process make you feel? 2. Is this form of writing effective or ineffective for you? Why? Create a verse/meditation as a class in honour of water. Consider questions as a class such as: 1. Why is water important? 2. What does it do for me as a human and for other living things? 3. How can it be healing? 4. How can it be destructive?
